Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting LR newbie questions

All, I'm pretty comfortable out to 300 yards, but am interested in stretching my effective range. It's really open where I hunt, so some extra range would be useful. I don't have a predetermined idea how far I want to take game, I'm just interested in seeing what I can realistically do with practice and some specialized equipment. Ideally, it would be nice if I could feel comfortable at 600 yards or a little further, as the bottom of the drainage I hunt is about 600-800 yards from where I like to glass.

My interest in long range hunting was piqued by a range session back in early October. I have a very accurate 35 Whelen, and for fun I decided to shoot at the 1/3 size steel buffalo my range has at 550 yards. After some guesstimation, I used the the spot where the thick part of the duplex post meets the thin part as an aiming point (I got this idea from JB) with the scope set at 6x. It turned out to be pretty close, and I hit the buffalo 3 out of 3 times, twice from the bench and once from a sitting position. The latter may have been luck.

Anyway, this got me thinking about what I could do with a dedicated long range rig and some serious practice. I've studied ballistic charts and have settled on a Remington 700 in 7mm RUM. For bullets, I'm considering the 168 grain Berger, 160 grain Accubond, or 160 grain MRX. This is for deer and elk, and I handload, BTW.

So here are my questions:

For scopes, what maximum magnification do you recommend?
What reticle; BDC, mil-dot, etc.? There's a really good deal at Midway right now on a Nikon Buckmaster 6-18x40 with the mil-dot reticle.

I have a Nikon Buckmaster rangefinder, and the furthest I've ever been able to range a tree is just under 600 yards, and that was under optimal conditions. I'll probably need a new rangefinder. Recommendations?

What do you all use for a rest in the field? I'm guessing shooting sticks or a bipod.

Any other recommendations for equipment?

Thanks in advance,
JV

Here is my recommendation and don't think this is the best thing to do because there are a lot of ways to skin this cat.

1. for scopes skip the fancy retical and get yourself a scope with some turrets, learn how to use them.

2. any of the bullets that you mentioned will be fine, pick whichever one shoots the best in your rifle and run it.

3. I think that eventually you will want a new range finder but for now just stay with what you got. Once you get confedient to the limit of that range finder then you can start looking for a new one. I use the Swarovski and a clinometer if you want to upgrade.

4. I have found the the field rest I use most often is the prone position off of a harris bipod. Through the shooting sticks in the trash because that is what they are.

5. Remember that shooting a 1/3 sized buff is a lot different than shooting a 5" group at 550 yards, You need an accuarate rifle at moa at least.
I would recommend shooting at something much smaller or shooting paper at that range to start at least. This will give you a lot better idea of where you are at and where you want to be.

Good luck and practice practice practice.